A former economics editor for BBC and Channel 4 who says he’s spent his journalistic life ‘holding powerful people to account’ - is vying to be Labour’s next parliamentary candidate for Mid and South Pembrokeshire.

Sixty-three-year-old Paul Mason who was Culture and Digital Editor of Channel 4 News, before becoming the programme’s Economics Editor - a post he formerly held on BBC Two’s Newsnight programme is also the author of several books, and writes a weekly column for the New Statesman.

An award-winning journalist, writer and film-maker, Mr Mason’s whose latest book is ‘How To Stop Fascism: History, Ideology, Resistance’ is a regular guest on political TV and radio news.

In announcing that he was throwing his hat into the ring to become MP for the area, he stated: “It’s a brand new constituency – so the person selected has one job - to beat the Tories. And I think, with your help, I can do that.

“The new constituency merges part of Preseli with part of Carmarthen West and Pembrokeshire South. The Tories will lose one MP. Let’s make sure they lose both.”

A regular Labour voice in national media, joining the Party in 1979, Mr Mason who resides in London, but owns a caravan in the county, states that his links with Pembrokeshire go back to the mid-1990s, and if he is selected to represent Labour, has vowed to move to locality full-time.

“I’m standing for selection in Mid and South Pembrokeshire because I think I can make a difference here,” he said.

“I will use my high profile and campaigning skills to build the broad coalition of voters needed to take the seat from the Tories, and represent the unique interests of people in south-west Wales.

“My links with Pembrokeshire go back to the mid-1990s. I love the place and the people. I live in London but since going freelance in 2016 – apart from during lockdown – I’ve lived and worked here for about three months of every year.

“If selected I will make my home here immediately and start campaigning. It would be a privilege to serve this place and its people.

“I’ll base my support team here in Pembrokeshire, not at Westminster and I will aim to appoint at least one fully bilingual Welsh speaking staff member.

“I know Pembrokeshire deserves better than what the Tories have delivered – and how much potential there is if we just start investing in the jobs, homes and public services working people need.

“I was born in Lancashire, to a family that had been tailors and miners for generations. I was the first person in my family to go to university, where I joined the Labour Party in 1979.

“Since then, I’ve spent my life fighting for social justice - as a Labour activist, a trade unionist and a journalist – holding the powerful to account, and giving voice to the powerless.”

Mr Mason said he believes that there is ‘massive potential to be unlocked’ in Pembrokeshire, pointing towards the Celtic Freeport that could make the county a global leader in floating offshore wind.

“We need an MP who’s prepared to fight to ensure local communities to see the benefits,” he continued.

“Pembrokeshire is coming under stress from every angle - climate change, Brexit, housing shortages and the cost-of-living crisis are all impacting life here massively.

“So I want to convince voters in Pembrokeshire that it’s time for a change. Whatever the polls say, winning here won’t be easy, especially once the boundaries are redrawn.

“If Labour wins the next election, Pembrokeshire will need a strong Labour voice to speak up for the interests of its people.

“I know how to fight for the investment needed – in emergency services, affordable homes for local people and better transport links.

“If the Celtic Freeport plan gets approval, I will fight to make sure it benefits the wider economy, under local democratic control,” he added.

Mr Mason is due to appear at the St David’s ‘Festival of Ideas’ held in Pembrokeshire over the weekend of March 24 and 26.

You can find out more about Mr Mason’s by heading to: https://www.paulmason.org/